A Line in the Sand

by Ryk Brown

  “Take out their jump drive,” Cameron solemnly ordered.

  “Firing.”

  “Be ready to target their main guns,” Cameron added.

  Jessica braced herself with her left hand while her right hand adjusted the comm-channel selector on her console. “What the hell is wrong with the inertial dampeners?” she wondered as the ship lurched and rolled, making it difficult to do anything.

  “They’re at minimum settings!” Nathan explained as the ship shook from incoming weapons fire. “I’m shunting all available power to shields! Better we get airsick than fried!”

  “I’m not even maneuvering that hard,” Josh defended.

  “Maybe that’s why we’re taking so much fire?” Jessica suggested.

  “We’re taking so much fire because there are a couple dozen fighters gunning for us!” Josh insisted.

  “Nathan,” Jessica said, ignoring Josh’s reply, “The Aurora is exchanging fire with the Cape Town. Cam’s taken out their shields and jump drive, and now she’s targeting their big guns.”

  “Great.”

  “I take it things aren’t going as planned,” Miri surmised as they entered the Voss’s command deck, stumbling forward from handhold to handhold.

  “As planned? No,” Nathan admitted. “As expected?…”

  “Two squadrons of Gunyoki are about to face off against a hundred Super Eagles,” Jessica added. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s going to turn on Galiardi any time soon.”

  “I have to speak to Galiardi,” Miri insisted.

  “I can make a connection, but I can’t guarantee he’ll talk to you,” Jessica warned her.

  “It has to be in person,” Miri added.

  Nathan turned to look at his sister. “He’ll have you gunned down.”

  “Isn’t that why you brought the Ghatazhak along?”

  “Miri…”

  “It’s the only way, Nathan, and you know it,” Miri insisted. “I can’t allow our people to kill one another, not when I can stop it.”

  “You don’t know that you can,” Nathan warned.

  “I’m giving you an order, Nathan,” Miri told him.

  “I’m not EDF,” Nathan reminded her. “My commission ended when I died.”

  “Nathan,” Miri stated firmly.

  Nathan sighed. “We have to get all these fighters off our backs first. Jess, tell those two squadrons of Gunyoki about to face off against the Super Eagles to jump down here and give us a hand.”

  “I’m on it,” Jessica assured him.

  “I’ll notify our reserves,” General Telles stated. “I take it we are about to head to the capitol complex?”

  “Ask her,” Nathan replied, pointing to Miri. “Apparently she’s in charge.”

  “They’re jumping again,” Kaylah announced from the Aurora’s sensor station as the ship rocked from impacts against their shields by the Cape Town’s big rail guns.

  “A few more impacts, and he would have overwhelmed our shields,” Lieutenant Yuati stated.

  “He’s afraid of another missile strike,” Cameron commented.

  “I’ve got her,” Kaylah reported. “Eighty clicks, same altitude.”

  “Helm, jump us forward again. Same relative range,” Cameron instructed.

  “Jumping forward,” the navigator acknowledged.

  “Why not jump further?” Lieutenant Yuati wondered as he prepared to reacquire the target.

  “He’s trying to stay within striking distance of Winnipeg for as long as possible,” Cameron explained. Port Terra won’t be coming over the horizon for another ten minutes, and Galiardi’s afraid of an all-out assault on his position.” Cameron glanced at the window on the main view screen showing the Cape Town’s current orbital track in relation to the North American continent below. “Comms, prepare a comm-drone.”

  “Message?”

  “No message,” Cameron replied.

  “Jumping forward in three…”

  Ensign Keller looked up from his station. “Who are we sending no message to?”

  “Two…”

  “The Orochi strike group.”

  “One…”

  “Preparing a jump comm-drone, no message, to the Orochi strike group,” the ensign acknowledged.

  “Jumping.”

  “Launch when ready,” Cameron added as the jump flash washed over the bridge.

  “Jump complete,” Ensign Dorsay reported.

  “Comm-drone away.”

  “Reacquiring target,” Lieutenant Yuati announced.

  Cameron glanced at the display on the lower edge of the main view screen noting the time. “Resume firing when ready.”

  “New contact,” Ali announced from the Orochi’s sensor station. “Jump comm-drone.”

  Aiden turned to Ensign Yamma at the comm-station, expecting a message.

  Ensign Yamma looked at her captain, shrugging. “It’s not transmitting anything.”

  “Is it broken?” Aiden wondered.

  “Sensors show it to be working normally,” Ali assured him.

  “Weird,” Aiden decided. “I hope this isn’t an ominous sign.”

  “Message from General Telles,” Ensign Keller reported from the Aurora’s comm-station. “He is requesting immediate launch of the Ghatazhak QRTs. He’s ordering them to the capitol complex.”

  “That can’t be good,” Cameron commented.

  “We’ve taken out another of the Cape Town’s main guns,” Lieutenant Yuati reported.

  Cameron tapped her com-set. “Flight, XO. Launch the QRTs and route them to the capitol complex.”

  “Missile launch!” Kaylah warned. “From the Cape Town! Eight inbound! Fifteen seconds!”

  “Helm, ten to port and jump ahead twenty clicks past the Cape Town!”

  “Ten to port, aye,” the helmsman replied, immediately initiating the course change.

  “Ten seconds!” Kaylah warned.

  “Jumping twenty past target!” the navigator reported.

  The blue-white flash washed over them again as the Aurora transitioned forward to avoid the incoming missiles.

  “Jump complete,” the navigator reported.

  “We’ll have to reorient to get our guns on them,” Lieutenant Yuati warned.

  “Not yet,” Cameron stated.

  “Captain?” the lieutenant asked, confused.

  “Target is jumping,” Kaylah announced.

  Cameron glanced at the time display again. One minute had passed. She smiled. “Let me guess, sixty clicks?”

  Kaylah looked at her. “You got it.”

  “How the hell did that guy get command?” Cameron muttered. “Comms, another comm-drone. Strike orders for the Orochi.”

  Talisha rolled her Nighthawk to the right, pushing her nose down and backing off her main propulsion throttle. Once in a dive, she pulled back hard on her flight control stick and jammed the throttle back to full power as she pulled her nose back up. Within seconds, her maneuver paid off, and four EDF Super Eagles were directly in front of her, passing right to left as they chased her wingman.

  “Any time now, boss,” her wingman urged over comms.

  “Leta, target their drives and fire four,” Talisha instructed her AI.

  “Targeting drives, four away,” Leta responded in her usual calm demeanor.

  Talisha waited just long enough for all four missiles to clear her nose, then pulled up to a forty-five-degree climb and pressed her jump button, instantly transitioning to a position several kilometers above her current altitude and just as many downrange.

  Once out of the jump, she pushed her ship into a tight left turn, preparing to return to the engagement area over the Winnipeg net-hub.

  “Two of the four missiles missed,” Leta reported. “The other two have found and disable
d their targets. Their pilots ejected safely.”

  “Razor Leader, Voss Actual,” Nathan called over comms.

  “Go for Razor Leader,” Talisha replied.

  “Take all Razors to the capitol complex and take out their air defenses. Notify when complete.”

  “Understood,” Talisha replied. “What about the Eagles harassing you?”

  “Gunyoki will keep them at bay. We’re done broadcasting for now.”

  “On our way,” Talisha assured him. “Razor Leader to all Razors. New mission. Capitol complex air defenses. Alpha group takes north and east targets, Beta takes south and west. Let’s do this.” A moment later, she changed course and jumped, putting the capitol complex directly ahead of her and only a few kilometers away. “Leta, target the nearest air defense batteries and launch when ready.”

  “There is a twenty-two percent risk of collateral damage, including civilian casualties,” Leta warned. “Confirmation of launch order is required.”

  “Confirmed. Launch when ready,” Talisha replied. “I’m sure Captain Scott is aware of the risks.” I hope, she thought.

  “Launching missiles,” her AI announced.

  The Aurora shook violently as explosive rail gun rounds slammed into her port shields.

  “Port shields down to forty percent!” Lieutenant Yuati warned from the tactical station.

  “How many more guns does she have on us?” Cameron wondered as another volley shook the ship.

  “She still has two guns on her aft side that can reach us,” the lieutenant replied.

  Cameron glanced at the clock. Another minute was about to pass. “Don’t let me down, Stettner,” she muttered to herself.

  “They’re jumping again!” Kaylah reported.

  Cameron kept her eyes on the main view screen as the flash from the Cape Town appeared, followed a split second later by the flash of her arrival further ahead of them. Then, as expected, smaller flashes appeared all over the place; some ahead and some behind the location where the Cape Town had arrived.

  “More contacts!” Kaylah announced. “It’s the third missile strike! Eleven impacts!”

  “Jump us ahead to stay with the target, Mister Tala,” Cameron instructed her helmsman.

  “Jumping to target.”

  “Detonate the weapons that missed, Lieutenant,” Cameron instructed her tactical officer.

  “Jumping in three…”

  “Detonating the jump missiles that missed their target.”

  “Two…”

  “Confirming all missiles have detonated,” the lieutenant reported.

  “One…”

  “Reacquire and open fire when ready,” Cameron added.

  “Jumping.”

  The jump flash washed over the Aurora’s bridge once again, and the Cape Town appeared before them; a small dot at the center of the main view screen, still ten kilometers away.

  “Damage to target?” Cameron inquired.

  “She’s lost half her primary and secondary jump arrays!” Kaylah replied. “She’s not jumping anywhere, sir.”

  “If they fire another of their big guns at us, take that gun out, Lieutenant.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “New contacts!” Kaylah warned from the sensor station. “Destroyers. The Tanna and the Nagoya. Wait! I’ve got gunships jumping in directly astern, about two thousand kilometers. About ten of them.”

  “Comms, all EDF channels again,” Cameron instructed.

  “You’re hot!” Ensign Keller replied.

  “All EDF ships, this is Captain Taylor commanding the Aurora! We are attempting to enforce a legal heir-to-office claim by Miranda Scott-Thornton. Admiral Galiardi has refused the claim and has taken illegal, hostile action against Miss Scott-Thornton and the vessels backing her. I strongly urge you to stand down and refuse the order. You may have us in numbers, but we have superior technology. If you don’t believe me, just look at the Cape Town. Do not fire on this ship, or you too will be committing an illegal act, and we will return fire.” Cameron took a breath. She was getting tired of this awfully fast. “Do not test me, for I will use deadly force if necessary. You have been warned,” she concluded, signaling her comms officer to end the broadcast.

  “I hope it has the desired effect,” Lieutenant Yuati stated.

  “We’re not about to sit here and find out. Mister Dorsay, be ready on that escape jump button. Random escape jump ranges from one to ten light minutes. It’s high time we started dancing.”

  “Nighthawks have taken out the capitol complex’s outer air defenses,” Jessica reported from the starboard auxiliary station on the Voss’s command deck.

  “What do you mean, outer air defenses?” Nathan asked.

  “The complex has a shield, and there are eight air defense batteries inside the shield.”

  “When the hell did that happen?” Nathan wondered.

  “We must disable that shield,” General Telles stated. “Regardless of the cost.”

  “This is not going the way I’d hoped,” Nathan admitted as he reached up to the comm-panel. “Razor Leader, Voss Actual,” he hailed over comms.

  “Go for Razor Leader,” Talisha replied.

  “I’ve got a mission for you, but it’s a tough one.”

  “Anything would be easier than trying to shoot down Super Eagles without killing their pilots,” the commander replied. “It’s a tahkah’s nest here!”

  “I need you to jump through the capitol complex’s shields and take them out.”

  “You’re talking about that slow-speed maneuver that Josh did?” Talisha surmised. “At treetop level?”

  “That would be the plan, yes,” Nathan confirmed.

  “I stand corrected,” Talisha replied. “On our way.”

  “That’s a suicide mission,” Jessica pointed out.

  “No choice,” Nathan replied. “A standard buster strike would probably level the place, and swarm-bots can’t function in the atmosphere. They’d just fall to the ground.”

  “I vote we level the place, myself,” Jessica stated.

  “Perception is the only truth that matters,” Miri commented.

  “What?” Jessica wondered.

  “She means that leveling the place won’t play well in the court of public opinion,” Nathan explained.

  Jessica shook her head in disgust. “I hate public opinion.”

  Talisha glanced at her fighter’s tactical display, noting the position of all the Nighthawks in the engagement area. “Broc, Chaim, you two are in the best position. You get the first run.”

  “Lucky us,” Broc replied over comms. “Chaim, you want to lead?”

  “Rolling in now,” Chaim reported.

  “Remember to slow to about five meters per second, or you won’t make it through their shields,” Talisha reminded them.

  “We’ll be easy targets,” Broc noted over comms.

  “Tie in your lateral thrusters and use them to translate from side to side,” Talisha suggested. “There’s no restriction on how fast you can jink laterally.”

  “Good idea,” Chaim agreed.

  “Let your AIs do the shooting,” Talisha added. “You just worry about avoiding incoming fire. And don’t feel like you have to linger long enough to take out the entire shield array. There are plenty of us to do the job.”

  “Don’t worry,” Broc replied. “I don’t stay where I’m not wanted.”

  “Even with lateral thrusters at full power, the odds of avoiding fire from all four anti-aircraft batteries inside the shield perimeter are…”

  “I’m not interested in the odds, Leta,” Talisha stated, cutting off her AI.

  “You should be,” Leta insisted. “At such close range, our shields can only withstand five, possibly six impacts before failing. At the fire rate of those batteries…”
>
  “Yes, I know it’s a long-shot, Leta.”

  “Then why attempt it?”

  “Because it’s not impossible,” Talisha argued.

  “But it is highly improbable.”

  “Which means we’ll be big damn heroes if we succeed.”

  “More likely we will be dead,” Leta corrected.

  “Did I ever tell you how encouraging you can be at times?” Talisha replied.

  “They’re trying to bracket us,” Lieutenant Yuati warned from the Aurora’s tactical station.

  “They’re going to need more than two ships to do so,” Cameron commented.

  “Yes,” the lieutenant agreed as the ship rocked from incoming weapons fire. “But they can deliver considerable firepower on the same shield section while splitting our own weapons.”

  “Comms, direct the Gunyoki to harass those two destroyers,” Cameron instructed. “Helm, prepare to jump directly between them, our midship just before their bows. Lieutenant Yuati, be ready on the broadsides.”

  “At our current closure rate, our broadsides will not get enough shots in to significantly weaken their shields.”

  “I’m just trying to make them nervous, Lieutenant,” Cameron explained.

  “Broadsides are charged and ready,” the lieutenant assured her as the ship rocked again.

  “Jump is ready,” Ensign Dorsay reported from the helm.

  “Let’s hit them with rail guns as well,” Cameron decided.

  “Swinging all rail guns outward,” the lieutenant replied. “I’ll rake them up and down ten degrees as we pass,” he added, “just to make them nervous.”

  Cameron was beginning to like the young Rakuen officer. “Mister Dorsay, execute the jump,” she instructed as more weapons fire rocked the Aurora.

  “Jumping to broadside attack position in three……two……one……jumping.”

  The blue-white jump flash once again swept through the Aurora’s bridge as the ship jumped ahead twelve kilometers.

  “Fire at will, Lieutenant,” Cameron ordered.

  “Firing all broadsides and rail guns,” Lieutenant Yuati replied, activating the Aurora’s broadside plasma cannons and midship rail guns.